Lilly Hatter
by MidnightApproaches
Summary: Alice and Hatter have a child who is the Hero of Wonderland and must go back to Wonderland to save it.
1. Party?

Lilly Hatter. That was here name. She had found that it had a nice ring to it. Growing up, she had always been curious as to the origin of her father's name. As a child, she had believed, along with the encouragement of her father, that he came from Wonderland. She had always loved the story, and her parents had told her many tales of Wonderland. Lilly remembered meeting an old family friend, someone named Jack, who had visited them before, but both times he had aged a great deal. Lilly's memories of her childhood were nostalgic, missing her childish trust and complete belief in her parents.

At the age of 10, Lilly no longer believed in the lies of her parents. Their fairy tales no longer worked on her. There was no Looking Glass. There was no Ring of Wonderland. It was her parents trying to keep her childlike and innocent from the hurt of the adult world.

Lilly was going to celebrate her 18th birthday this day. It didn't feel very special, but her parents were making a big deal out of it.

"Dad, you do not have to invite Gran!"

"Yes, I do. Your mother would kill me if I didn't."

"I just want to have a small celebration with my family and friends. We don't need to have a big dinner in a hotel."

"Yes, we do. You're an adult now. It's good to celebrate. Too bad that my parents couldn't see you…" Lilly saw her father looking sad and pensive.

"Dad?"

His usual full smile was on his face again, although Lilly knew that he was faking it. "I'm fine. Let's get you ready. Your mother will be back from the dojo any minute and you'll need to be ready."

"Alright! I'm going!"

Lilly went to her room, locking it so that her father would leave her alone. Posters lined her wall, most of them based on books. Above her desk was the poster that her father had painted of his version of Wonderland, along with a map on the corner. She smiled at it, reaching for the most used book that lay on her bedside table. She stared at the cover, hoping, just as she had when she was a child, that she would be able to disappear down the rabbit hole.

Lilly got dressed, and was starting to do her make-up when her mother arrived in the house.

"Open up, Jellybean!"

"Mom, how many times do I ask you not to call me Jellybean!"

"Just open up!"

Lilly got up and opened the door, seeing her mother dressed in one of her relaxed outfits. "You got back early."

"I wanted to help you get ready. Where's you brush?"

Lilly handed her brush to her mother while she went back to applying blush. She loved the feel of her mother brushing her hair, which looked exactly like her mother's. She shared a lot of characteristics of her mother: stubborn, caring, strong, adventurous to a fault, according to her father.

"Mom, you need to get ready."

"I am ready. You wanted it to be relaxed, so I'm relaxed."

"Mom, if I'm wearing a dress, you are wearing one too."

"Fine. I'll get ready."

Lilly reached from the book again and felt some sense of premonition as she looked at the drawing on the cover.


	2. Out of the Rabbit Hole

Why did this dress itch so much? I looked around the room and couldn't remember there being so many people that had taken part of my life so far. There was Gran and her friends, along with mom and dad's. Then, there were all of my friends from college spread around the room, most of whom were having a grand time with the alcohol.

"Dad? I think I need a breath of fresh air."

"Alright. Don't be long."

I walked out on the balcony, thinking about the past more than I had all week. What was I going to do now? I couldn't forget the past and all of the stories mom and dad told me. When they told me that Wonderland was really, they believed it. They _knew_ that it was real but I still wasn't sure.

"Pssst."

I looked to the sound that was made and found that there was man standing in the shadows. I took a step back, weary of anyone I had never met before, as my parents had taught me to be.

"Might I speak to you, Ms. Hatter?"

"Who are you?"

"Just an old family friend. I need to ask a favor from you. Will you follow me please?"

I knew that I should suspect him but the alcohol in my body was making me feel more willing and he had such a nice voice….. I nodded, taking a step toward him.

"Follow me."

I did, slowly at first then faster, feeling my legs moving against my will. My head was ringing with alarm bells, but my body kept moving. We left the hotel and we walked through side streets. My feet hurt from the shoes that I was wearing, but I couldn't stop. I thought that it lights were getting darker and darker. I started to smell more and more dirt and I tripped once or twice from roots that came out of the ground.

"I can't see."

I started to hear the sound of hissing, but feet kept moving forward.

"Don't worry, Ms Hatter. You're in good hands."

All of a sudden, I felt myself falling, falling at a speed that gave me goosebumps from the cold. I felt it slowing, but I knew that could only last for a short amount of time until I was squished. I suddenly was jerked to a stop and then I crashed into the floor.

"Owww."

"You oysters are so fragile."

Oysters? I had heard that before. Dad had said something about oysters before, but what was it?

I felt two hands wrap around my arms and help me up, but it didn't feel like I was being touched by skin. It felt like… scales.

"Come on, Ms. Hatter. We're going to meet a dear friend."

"I don't want to meet anyone. I want to go home."

"Not possible, my dear."

I tried to pull myself away, but his grip just got stronger. "Let go of me!"

Then, for a second, I was blinded by light. How could there be light underground? I turned my head away, feeling the strength of the light in my eyes. I slowly opened my eyes again and found myself face to face with the strangest sight in my life: apartment building upon apartment building towering one on top of the other, stretching higher and higher until I couldn't tell the difference between the different buildings due to the clouds. I heard the voices of people not too far away. I took in air, getting ready to scream for help, but I felt that scaly hand upon my mouth.

"Tsk, tsk. No need to call for help. I am your help."

I thought back to what my mom had taught me in the dojo. I parted my mouth slightly and bit his hand. I pushed him back and twisted around so that I was face to face with him, although he had kept a firm grip on my hand. I kicked up so that he would feel great pain in his groin and he finally let go of my hands. I turned and ran through the streets. I took a sharp turn and almost fell to my death. What was wrong with this world? Couldn't they have normal streets that prevent you from falling and killing yourself? I took another deep breath and kept running, fearing that the snake thing was going to follow me.

I found a few people walking and I ran into the group, trying to blend in, which was really hard because of my cocktail dress. I ran until I saw this shop with the sign "Spinner's Fineries" and ran in. I felt my heart beating far too rapidly but I thought it stopped when someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked around and found myself starring into some very dark brown eyes. I took a step back and looked at the man who stood next to me.

He wasn't very tall, about my age. He had wavy, messy hair, making him look like he was just woken up. On his wrist was a pin cushion with what seemed like hundreds of needles stuck in it. His clothes seemed to be a mix of different cloths sewed together, which should have looked raggedy, but in fact was tailored to make him look elegant. He wore glasses and had a very open face.

"What are you doing here?" He spoke with an accent that sounded like my father's.

"I… I was trying to get away from that snake dude."

"Snake? What would he want with a beautiful girl like you?"

I turned and looked through the peep hole, but saw that just everyday people were walking past the shop.

"What's your name?" I turned to look at the curious young man.

"Lilly H…" I would have said more, but he had clamped his hand on my mouth.

"Hold that thought. Follow me," he said as he looked me up and down.

He led me down the hallway until we got into a large room that made a lot of sound. The machines beedled and babbled, emitting cloth and clothes of all shapes, sizes and colors. I looked around and was surprised to find that those who were working the machines were my age. What was this guy running?

I followed him and felt the eyes of the workers turning to me, making me want to make sure that I looked alright, but I entered a smaller room at the end of the workroom. I heard the click of the door closing and the young man moved to sit on his desk so that he could study me.

"So, you are the famous Lilly Hatter. Well, Hero of Wonderland, what are you going to do now?"

"How do you know my name?"

"Only one person could make a hat like that, which would be Hatter and you told me your first name. All of Wonderland has been waiting to for you years. We thought that the prophecy wouldn't come true, since the time had almost passed for you to come and save us."

"Save you? I don't understand."

"What's hard to understand? You are the Hero of Wonderland. It is your destiny to fight with and for us."

I started to walk backward, trying to find the handle of the door to get out of this insanity. I just needed to find the tunnel. If I found the tunnel, I could leave this insane world behind.

"I locked the door." He turned around, walked towards a closet and reached in, taking out a black trench coat and a set of new clothes. "Well, we can't very well have an oyster walking around, giving off their location with their shine. Here, you'll need this."

Every muscle in my body was tense and I want to run home, but I knew that wouldn't be possible until I complied with this guy. I took the clothes.

"Knock on the door when you're finished. I'll take you to the General so that we can discuss the plans."

The young man left the room, leaving me more confused and lost than when I had left that tunnel. It didn't make sense, but I understood what dad had told me. All of the stories had been real; Wonderland did exist. The question was what was I doing here? I was no hero. There was no point to me being here. All I wanted to do was go home and take a long bath. And he had called me an oyster. Why did people keep calling me an oyster?

I reached for the clothes and found that they were light, lighter than any cloth I had ever touched. They were all black, but I had always liked that color on me. He had given me a tunic shirt and some light yoga pants-thing. I took off my party dress, enjoying the feel of the clothes on my bare skin. It fit perfectly, making me feel at home, secure, unlike everything else of this world. I put the trench coat and and found that it was about the length of my entire body. How had he known my size?

I knocked on the door and the young man entered again. "Well, it's seems to fit you."

"Yeah, it does. Um…do you have shoes, though? I don't think I can go running around in heels."

"Ah, well, give me your pumps. I'll find you some shoes. Sit tight for a second."

"Where am I going to go anyway? I don't know this place that well; I would just get lost or run into that snake again."

"Snake? He's harmless, unless you pay him the price."

"That's his name?"

"Yeah. We all have simple names hear, usually based on our jobs or what we are."

I hesitantly asked, "Well, what's your name?"

He walked back into the room with some comfortable boots of some kind and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I've forgotten my manners. My name is Spinner."

"Spinner. I can remember that."

He smiled, something that I felt lacking in this strange world. I took the boots and put them on.

"Now," I said as I stood up, "Where are we going now?"

"Follow me. We'll leave through the back door."

"What about your workers?"

"They're used to me disappearing for days at a time. They won't be worried."

He left the room, picking up a back pack right before opening a door that I had noticed until he opened it. I saw a second pack and picked it up, following him out the door.


	3. The Hero of Wonderland

"Why can't you people build buildings that prevent you from falling to your death?"

"I'm not quite sure. I didn't build the damn things; I just know them."

I smiled, then tripped for the umpteenth time, but this time I almost fell off of the side.

"Spinner!"

Spinner turned around and dragged me back up. We sat, breathing hard; me, from fear, and him, from the exertion.

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

"Here," he said as he helped me up and held my hand. "Don't let go, or you could get hurt again."

I held his hand as we walked to the General, the whole tim my heart felt funny, but then again I had almost fallen to my death, so I wasn't too worried. He stopped in front of a blue building with an entrance that was barely visible. He knocked three time and a small slit appeared at eye level.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" A raspy voice whispered.

"The time ticks, ticks by." He turned to me and rolled his eyes as the door opened. What strange passwords they had here…

We entered a small room that seemed to have no entrance or exit. In the middle of the room stood a man dressed in what seemed to be dirt.

"Mud, we need to talk to the General."

"She's a bit busy at the moment."

"Tell her it's urgent." Spinner tilted his head toward me. Mud looked at me and I suddenly felt a little worried.

"All right. Come in." Suddenly, at the back of the room appeared a door. It was small, but Mud made his way through it. I didn't move, worried about this feeling like a trap.

Spinner turned and asked, "You coming?"

"This doesn't feel right."

"The General might be rough, but she knows how to fight. I've trusted her before. Come on. I'll protect you, I promise."

Knowing this was a bad idea, I walked through the door, Spinner following two steps behind me. We found ourselves in a huge cavern. Inside, beds were stacked all over the walls. The sound of running steps and the quiet laugh of children bounced off the walls. I looked down over the banisters and found myself looking at a floor that was covered in book, art, basket ball, bats, guns, almost everything.

"What is this place?"

"The headquarters of the Resistance."

"I thought they were disbanded after the Queen of Hearts was defeated."

"Yes, but not for long, once Prince Jack died, the White King took control of Wonderland."

"The White King?"

"A real sadistic bastard. Enjoys watching the pain of oysters while their pearls are taken out. A sick man that I don't want to meet."

I stood and looked at Spinner, "What do you mean, their pearls?"

Then, at the end of the hall, a tall woman dressed in a military coat clicked her way to us. Spinner whispered, "Later," and gave a small bow to the woman.

"So, what is it Spinner. I can't tell you how displeased I will be unless you have something good to tell me. I was in the middle of reading the newest tactile plans."

"I found her. The Hero of Wonderland."

"What do you mean? That's just a legend."

Spinner turned and brought me forward so that the General could see me clearer. "Look at her neck; she's and oyster. And her name is…"

"Lilly Hatter." I put in, not enjoying being talked about like I couldn't hear them.

The General suddenly seemed interested, "How did you get here?"

"A guy named… Snake?" I looked at Spinner to see if I was correct. When he nodded, I continued, "Well, he brought me here through this tunnel and then I fell. I got away and ran into Spinner's shop and… now I'm here."

"Well. This is quite a surprise. I suspect you will want a reward, Spinner?"

Spinner tipped his head, "Of course, madam."

I sighed inside. He had just brought me here for a reward. I guess I was going to need a way out of here.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get some questions answered."

"Hard-headed, isn't she? Mud, grab her." I suddenly felt myself lifted up off the ground by crushing arms.

"What are you doing?"

"The Hero of Wonderland is a tool. Well let her fight when she is needed. Until then, I will keep under control."

"She's not an animal!"

"She's an oyster."

I heard the sound of metal clashing and I looked around to see Spinner holding two long swords that were shaped like needles holding up a sword that was being wielded by the General, "Let her go."

"You're so naive, Spinner. You thought that I would have her wandering Wonderland so that the White King could capture her and kill her before she could become of use? She must keep her under control."

"Not if I can help it." Spinner and the General started to fight, and from the first clashes, I could see that the General was stronger, although Spinner was faster. I knew that I had to get out and help him. I looked around and saw that if I pulled my heel back, I would maybe be able to knock out Mud, but I would have to do it quickly. I took a deep breath and pulled my heel back and heard a thunk. I saw that I was starting to fall and wondered if this had been a bad idea. I pushed away from Mud and got on his shoulder, using him as a buffer from the shock of the fall.

I got up, feeling just a little dizzy, but saw Mud's dagger at his side. I gabbed it and ran to the end of the hallway. I turned to see Spinner struggling with the General and I realized that although he had brought me here, he had helped me. I ran back and jumped, using Spinner's bent knee to push me higher. As I landed, I extended my leg and knocked the General on the head.

I turned to find Spinner leaning on one of the pillars, "You okay?"

He looked at me, dumbfounded, "How did you do that?"

I stopped and thought back to what I did. "I… I don't know…"

Spinner pushed off of the pillar and grabbed my arm, "We need to go. Now!"

I pulled away, "No. I want to know what is going on!"

Spinner grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the door, "I promise you, I will tell you everything I know, but not now." Suddenly, a terrifying scream was let out. Spinner pushed me out of the door. "Time to go."


	4. Into the Forest

We ran along the narrow side walks, the grass almost tripping me multiple times, and I would have fallen twice if Spinner had not been holding my hand.

"Faster, or he'll catch up with us."

"Who will?"

"Mud. Now hurry up."

As we ran, I knew that we weren't going to last long; we needed to find a way to go faster. As we turned the block, I saw our ticket out of here. I started to pull on Spinner's hand and headed toward the square. In the middle was a market where multiple horses were tethered. I snuck in and grabbed the reins, getting on the horse as Spinner untethered the horse. I looked up to see what Mud really looked like in the sun. He was in the shape of a man, but it moved, constantly, propelling him forward and gaining size by collecting dirt from the ground.

"Get on!"

I reached for Spinner's hand and helped him up, turning the horse around so that we could get away from that creature. I spurred the horse on, urging it to a gallop and managed to get out of the city gates.

"Get into the forest."

"Wouldn't that just increase him in size?"

"Maybe, but no one knows the Wild Woods as much as I do."

I nodded and spurred the horse into the woods, feeling a chill as the sun diminished and it suddenly colder.

After a good fifteen minutes of hard riding, I slowed the horse down. Enough so that I could get off.

"What are you doing?"

"No need to kill the horse. We should walk; give her a rest."

"I don't think I can."

"You were running a minute ago."

"I had to. Here, let me down and I'll show you."

I took his arm and helped him down, tripping at the last minute so that I ended up on top of him. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

"No. My shoulder." I opened his jacket and found blood stains all over his left shoulder.

"What happened?"

"She must have got me right before you kicked her."

"Well, good thing I jumped in."

He laughed and then cringed when the pain swept through his body. "Look through the pack. I must have some bandages and salves in there."

I opened my pack and found a bundle of clean white cloth and some lime green gel in a jar. "This it?"

"Yeah. Cut my shirt open and apply the salve on the cut."

"Do you want me to clean it first?"

"No time. Just apply the gel."

I took the dagger that I stolen from Mud and cut the shirt so that I could get to the shoulder. As I applied the salve on his shoulder I couldn't help but notice how, well… how strong he looked. I found it a little ironic that he had gotten hurt. He winced when I started to wrap the bandage on his shoulder.

"You'll be okay. It's just a cut."

"How did you learn to do that?"

"Took some first aid training. This is the first time I've ever been able to put it into practice."

"Makes me feel so much better." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

I smiled, "Well, depending on how strong that slave is, you should be fine in a day or two. I'll reapply it tonight and we'll see from there."

I stood and extended my hand to help him up. After a few seconds of tugging, I got him to stand.

"You can walk, right? I don't think it would be a good idea to be riding again."

"Yeah, I can walk."

We walked in silence for a few minutes while I listened to the happy chirping of the birds and the wind that ran through the trees. It had been a while since I had been to a forest and I was surprised by how much I missed it.

"So… I think I owe you an explanation."

"You owe me multiple explanations."

He gave a small chuckle and asked, "So, which one do you want first?"

I thought about the one that had been bothering me since I had first entered Wonderland. "Why did people keep calling me Oyster?"

Spinner sighed, "That's fairly simple, really. We call people from your world oysters because inside you, you carry pearls. In the past, with the Queen of Hearts, she used the pearls to collect emotions of humans to satisfy us Wonderlanders with a quick fix. That's how she would control the people."

"And now? What are the pearls used for?"

Spinner looked away. "I'm not sure if I should tell you. It's quite scary and gave me nightmares for a month when I found out."

"Spinner, just tell me. I'm not a child."

He gave me a I-warned-you look and explained, "The new ruler of Wonderland, he is more interested in gold and enjoys rare objects that he can look at and touch rather than emotions that could play with his judgement. He… he takes the pearls out of you Upperlanders, rips them out and uses them for games, clothes, whatever suits his fancy."

I felt myself getting sick and I had to use a tree to support myself. Spinner stopped and helped me up.

"I told you it wasn't something that you wanted to hear."

"It was necessary. How can a Hero save anything if they don't know the problem. Uh… my second question was…. Right! What's on my neck? When you talked to the General, you used it as proof of me being the Hero.

Spinner's eyes traveled to my neck and and I could feel my face burning up. "You Upperlanders don't do so well in our sunlight. The first time you get touched by it, you get a tattoo burned to your skin."

I reached for my neck and tried to feel and difference.

"It won't come off. But the strange thing is that an Upperlander usually has a green leaf-like mark. You, however have a the mark of a white snowflake. No one has had that mark before."

I nodded, wondering if it would disappear when I got back to my world.

"Okay, well then, last question: What now?"

Spinner smiled and gave a small laugh, "That I don't know. We should probably head to the castle, but that's too dangerous, especially since we have no weapons and no one to help us."

"Well, then, let's find someone who can." I started to walk faster, gripping the horses bridle harder in my hands.

"In the forest? Are you mad? There's no one here for miles around except the Bandersnatch, the Jabberwocky and the JubJub Bird. It's too dangerous to walk farther in."

"You have a better plan? If this is the dangerous part of the forest, than the guards won't follow us since they think it'll be suicide."

Spinner stopped and looked at me with some awe, "I didn't even think of that."

I just smiled and we kept walking through the forest, heading probably into certain danger…


	5. Talking

**Hey! So, my first comments as author, but I just wanted to say thank you to all those who faved my story! You have know idea how much that means to me 0w0. **

**I also would like to say that sadly, the world of Wonderland doesn't belong to me, but I did create the characters myself…. Hope you're still enjoying it!**

"Okay, my turn. What is you favorite color?"

I rolled my eyes, wondering why I had allowed Spinner to start this ridiculous game. We had stopped for the night and I was cooking a bird on the fire that Spinner had made. "Dark blue, about the same color as a sapphire. What about you?"

"Well, as a Spinner, I love all colors, but recently it's been green." He said as he looked me in the eyes. I felt myself blushing since I knew that my eyes were green.

"What type of green?"

"Hey, my turn. When are we going to eat?"

I laughed, not expecting a question like that. "Soon. I just have to make sure that it's well cooked and then we can eat. I'm not so trusting of this bird you killed earlier."

"So, it fell on the ground. What's the big deal? You cleaned it anyway."

"That's not the point." I said as I turned the bird. "What made you want to become a Spinner?"

Spinner lost a little bit of his smile, "My father was a Spinner, so he taught me the tricks of the trade. It wasn't easy. But when he died, I almost stopped, but I realized that my dad would want me to continue, so I did, but I also helped with the Resistance, like he did."

I felt a little sorry for him, knowing that he had no family here. "Do you miss him?"

"Yes, I do. He was my only family…." Then he looked up with a glint in his eye. "You just asked me two questions, so I get two."

"Not fair."

"Completely fair. Now, what do you do in your world?"

"I don't have a job. I just finished school and I wasn't sure what to do with my life yet. With everything that my parents told me when I was a kid, I felt unmotivated and unsure. You're lucky when your father taught you a job. I know nothing useful."

"That's not true. You know how to fight."

"Yeah, but you can't make a job out of that in my world."

"But you could here." The way that he said that, seeming so sweet and his intense gaze, I had to look away and I faltered with my question.

"And your second question?"

"Right," He said as he sat closer to me, making me feel nervous, "You have anyone close in your world?"

"Uh… I have my family and some friends."

"That's not what I was asking about. Do you have someone close to you?"

I moved to go take the bird off of the fire. "You already asked me two questions. It's my turn."

"But you didn't answer my second one." I heard the disappointment in his voice.

"Yes, I do. I have only my family and friends." I turned back to Spinner in time to see him smile. I handed him the bird once I had ripped a small piece from it. "When you're done, I'll clean your bandage again."

Spinner just nodded and started to unbutton his shirt. Last time that I taken care of his shoulder, I had only seen that part of his body, but now that his entire shirt was off, I was stunned by how strong he looked. I had seen guys before, don't get me wrong. There were enough movies where the guy had no shirt on to satisfy any girl's dreams for years, but that was nothing compared to the real thing. Spinner wasn't buff, but he was strong and didn't seem shy about it. I tried to hide my blush behind my hair as I started to put more gel onto the gash.

It was healing faster than I had ever seen a wound heal, but then again, I was in Wonderland. I felt him pull back when I had pressed too hard on the wound.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." He placed he hand on mine and I felt nervous, touching him so intimately after having known him for only a day. I felt him getting closer to my face when I heard the snapping of a twig. I turned quickly and grabbed the dagger that I had stolen from Mud. To my right, I saw Spinner taking out his needle-like swords.

"Spinner, what are you doing?"

"Getting ready to fight."

"No, you are not. Not with your shoulder in that state."

"I'm not letting you fight alone."

"You…" I cut myself off when I heard footsteps coming closer to us. I got into a neutral stance, ready to fight whatever was to jump out and fight us.

Suddenly, we saw a young man walk through the clearing. He was thin, thin as a rapier and built like a sword fighter. He seemed like he was built completely of sinew and bone. His face was sharp, scaring me a little at its roughness. I took a step back, getting closer to Spinner so that I could protect him.

"What do you want?"

The man held his hands up, showing that he meant no harm, but I didn't buy it. "I heard that the Hero of Wonderland had arrived. I wanted to find you."

Spinner stepped forward so that I could feel him right behind me. "How did you find us?"

"I followed the voices."

I had this nagging feeling that he was familiar. His face…. "Jack?"

He smiled, "No, that's my grandfather. I'm Duke Heart."


	6. Duke

**I know this is a short chapter, but I just introduced a new character… Can Lilly trust him? We shall see….**

We sat around the fire, Spinner playing with something in his hands. Duke had a piece of the bird that I had cooked while I cleaned the dagger. In between eating, Duke told us about what was going in Wonderland.

"They are looking for you everywhere. That slimy reptile, Snake reported your appearance to the White King. Every bounty hunter in Wonderland is looking for you." Duke looked at Spinner, "And you too."

Spinner sat up and looked angrily at Duke, "And how did you find us?"

Duke smiled playfully, "I was sent by the General to take you down and bring the Hero back to her. I'm the best tracker and it wasn't hard to find your trace..."

Spinner sat closer to me, placing the needle in front of me, barring any chance for Duke to attack me head on.

Duke put his hands up again, "Don't worry, I'm not going to attack her. My grandfather told me of what her mother and father did for him during the Second Falling of the House of Cards. Anyway, it's your fate to beat the White King. He played his first move when he sent his rook after you. It's your turn now."

I nodded my head and thought about it. I had never been good at chess, but I knew the basics of tactics… maybe I could do this after all.

"So, who do you really work for?" Spinner asked, still unwilling to move from his guarding stance.

"I work for no one. Ever since my father was kicked off the throne, I've fought to gain back the throne for the people of Wonderland. I will fight until the White King is off the throne or I'm killed."

I saw the meaning, the truth in his voice and eyes. I whispered into Spinner's ear, "We can trust him."

Spinner looked at me and then nodded, putting his needles down, but he kept them near his hands, still mistrustful of him.

"So, Hero of Wonderland, what do we do now?" Duke said as he leaned back from having finished eating the bird. I sat back, looking up at the stars, thinking about what I should do. I could do the cowardly thing, and run back to my home… but that wouldn't solve anything. That Snake could find me again. Or, I could fight. Mom and dad had fought, so I guess I could too. Mom had prepared me for fighting and dad had taught me all about Wonderland. I had memorized the entire map of Wonderland and I knew the stories. I was prepared.

"We fight."

Duke started laughing. "That's a great plan, Lilly. But how?"

"We could infiltrate the court..." Spinner whispered.

I turned my head and looked at Spinner. He looked at me, hoping that I would agree. It made sense and it could work. The only problem was how to get in without getting discovered and get others to help us in our coup.

"Duke, are there any positions that are empty in the court?"

Duke stopped laughing but I didn't move to check. I kept watching the stars, planning our attack.

"Well, I heard that they need a new maid and guard for the king. But I can't go in there. They know what I look like. I'll be killed on site."

"Then Spinner and I will have to go in."

Spinner sat close to me, "Are you sure you want to do this? The moment we're caught, that's it. We'll be killed within seconds."

I finally looked at him. He had such worry in his eyes that my heart gave a little tug. "We have no other choice, Spinner. It's either we run around in the forest, waiting for a miracle, or we take the offensive and play the game. This is our move, our play. The White King started. We are going to move our red pawn."

With that, I rolled over and closed my eyes, hoping that this whole thing had been a dream, that when I woke up, I would be back home.


	7. Taking a Dip

**Okay, a much longer chapter, but it's good!**

I woke up the next morning with covers on me, thinking that I was back home, that yesterday had just been one crazy dream. I rolled over and opened my eyes, finding myself face to face with a sleeping Spinner. I closed my eyes, hoping that they were just playing tricks on me, but when I opened them again, there he was. I rolled over, feeling my face turning red. Why was my face turning red? Was I falling for this guy?

I had to stop this. I couldn't fall in love with a guy that I had met only the day before. He was handsome, I couldn't deny that, but I was going to go back to my world eventually. I didn't want something to happen like mom and dad. They're happy, but I knew that dad missed Wonderland a whole lot from the way he always talked about it.

I got up, walking a little farther away to relieve myself. As I walked back into the camp, nothing seemed to have changed, but I felt something was wrong. I looked around, trying to find Duke. At first glance I couldn't see him. My heart started to go faster and I could feel myself panicking. I heard the snap of a twig and I thought I was going to jump out of my skin when Duke walked from behind a tree carrying a big fish.

"Jesus, Duke. I thought you were an enemy."

"If I was, I wouldn't make so much noise."

I knew that I was blushing from embarrassment, so I just looked at the fish. I bent over, grabbed one of the daggers that I had stolen and extended my hand for the fish.

"What?"

"We're not going to eat the fish with its scales still on. Give it to me, I'll de-scale it."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"It's not healthy to eat a fish with its scales on. Anyway, you must have gotten it from a body of water and I need to wash up, so hand me the fish. Where is the river?"

"It's a lake." Duke said as he pointed back to where he had come from.

"Cool. Please, tell Spinner that I'll be back in a few."

Duke nodded and turned back to play with the fire. I walked towards the lake, trying to watch where I stepped so that I wouldn't make too much noise. Who knew what lived in this forest.

The lake was easy enough to find since I just walked straight. Afraid that I would get lost walking back, I made small scratches in the bark of the trees so that I would know where I had passed. Once I reached the lake, I took off my shoes and look at the scenery. It was truly breath taking. The lake was still, barely a ripple over the entire surface. The trees that surrounded the lake were large and seemed to bend to touch the edge of the water. Finding that this stretch of beach was a little to exposed for my liking, I walked a little to the left until I was covered back the low lying branches of the trees. I took off the comfortable clothes that Spinner had lent me and I left the fish next to my clothes, since it wasn't going to run away. I tiptoed into the water. It was freezing and all of my hairs stood on end, but I knew that I had to get clean, so I took a deep breath and ran in.

Once I reached a swimming depth, I dived down and wet my hair, shaking it to let it go free. I swam back to the surface and found that I had swum farther from the shore than I had thought. I started to stroke back when I felt something grab my ankle. I tried to grab as much air as I could before I was dragged under, but I barely got a mouthful. I tried to swim against whatever held my ankle, but it was far more powerful. I could feel bubbles escaping my mouth and I wrapped my hands over my mouth and nose, trying to make sure that I didn't lose more of the precious air that I still held. I could feel the pressure building on me and I felt myself blacking out.

Suddenly, a hand around my ankle, attacking whatever was pulling me down. My ankle was finally freed, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to swim to the surface. I just hoped that the person saving me could. I felt myself being pulled up and I could no longer hold in the air. I let it all out, hoping that this would make it easier for whoever was saving me.

Then, I felt the surface. I breathed, gulping in as much air as I could, while at the same time some water. I spluttered, trying to get the water out of my mouth so that I could take in the air that my body screamed for. I turned to thank the person that had saved me when I saw that it was Spinner. I then realized that his hand was on my bare skin and that the water was not all that murky. I flailed back, hoping that the distance would cover my nakedness a little.

"What are you doing? If you keep flailing, the Snidder Snake will come back."

"I'll calm down, but look away."

Finally, Spinner understood why I was freaking out and his entire face turned red. He turned around so that he faced the beach. "I'll swim in front of you. If anything tries to grab you, call my name."

"Okay."

We started swimming and I realized that Spinner had saved my life. His clothes were completely wet and he looked a little cold. I felt bad about having made him jump in and save me. I would need to pay him back somehow. Once we got near enough to the beach so that I could stand, Spinner took off his jacket in the water and passed it back to me.

"Take it. I'll look away, but this is for anything else that could be around."

I took the jacket, blushing, realizing what a fool I had made of myself by just choosing to wash up. I put the jacket on in the water, feeling the weight of the waterlogged material. I got out of the water, feeling so much heavier than I had a few seconds ago. I walked quickly to the shelter of trees and started to get dressed, not wanting Spinner to stay in the cold water any longer. I got dressed quickly, slipping the shirt on while I tried to stuff my feet into my shoes. I ran out from the shelter of the trees and called his name so that he knew he could leave the water.

I saw him, watching the mountains with complete calm. His lips seemed to be blue from the cold and his hair seemed to be drying already. He really was such a nice guy, helping me for no reason, at least no reason that I could understand.

"Spinner, you can turn around now." I said quietly, almost afraid to break him out of his reverie.

Spinner turned around and smiled, "Well, at least you're dressed."

"So are you, but you're soaking wet. Come on, we need to get back to the camp so you can dry a little."

"We don't have to go now. You have to clean the fish anyway."

I smiled and walked back to get the fish and dagger. Back at the water's edge, I scrapped the fish's scales, letting them fall in the water or washing them off the blade. I felt Spinner crouch next to me, but I kept working. A nagging question came out of my mouth.

"How did you know where I was drowning?"

Spinner laughed, "I hoped that you wouldn't notice that."

I straightened up, "You mean you saw me get into the water?"

Spinner shook his head vigorously, "No! No, I saw you swimming. Then I saw you go under and you didn't come back up, so I dove in. I couldn't very well let you die."

I looked back at the fish and continued, not sure of how to thank him. Once the fish was done, I stood up and so did Spinner. I looked him in the face and kissed on the cheek.

"Thank you."

I walked back towards the camp, feeling Spinner still standing in the same spot. I kept walking, asking myself why I had done that… I did feel gratitude, but kiss him on the cheek?

I heard Spinner's steps behind me, but I didn't look back, trying to calm myself down so that I wouldn't have a complete freak out.

When we got back to camp, Duke had revived the fire. I put the fish on a spit, packed up the backpack, anything but look at Spinner. 'What is wrong with you? It was just a peck on the cheek. Just act normal.' I thought and then took a deep breath. I turned back to Spinner and saw that he had been looking at me, but I just gave a smile and started taking care of the fish. After it was cooked, I passed the fish to Duke while I went to put the final items on the horse. I knew that we had a long way to go, but we would not all be able to ride the horse. We could all take turns on the horse, but I wasn't sure that Spinner could ride it one handed. I decided to put all of our packs on the horse so that we would have less to carry while walking, and therefore be less tired.

When I turned back, Duke was putting out the flames with dirt and Spinner was walking towards me with the rest of the fish, the best parts were left. I smiled and took the stick, nibbling on the fish while Duke attached his pack to the horse.

"Ready to go?"

I nodded and started walking, focusing on eating my fish, knowing that getting closer to the castle was taking me closer to sure danger.


End file.
